A crab cake needs only a couple of things to win me over: it has to be mostly crab, and the crab has to be fresh. Those caveats aside, I’m happy to eat nearly any variation. Simple and smart, they only require throwing a hot chili pepper, a garlic clove, a bit of bread, and a lot of cilantro into a food processor, then combining the mixture with lump crabmeat and mirin. Formed into little balls and pan-fried (gently now, they’re just barely held together), they are crisp, crabby, and terrifically aromatic. The cilantro may seem like overkill, but it wasn’t overwhelming, and the touch of mirin helped soften the intensity of the herb and the chili.
Serves 3 to 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 hot red chili
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 1/2 ounces soft white bread
- 1 large bunch cilantro (about 2/3 ounce, including both the leaves and the thinner stalks)
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 14 ounces lump crabmeat
- Salt and black pepper
- Sunflower or peanut oil, for frying
- Lime halves, for serving
DIRECTIONS
- Put a hot red chili, including the seeds, into a food processor with a garlic clove, 3 1/2 ounces soft white bread, and a large bunch of cilantro(about 2/3 ounce, including both the leaves and the thinner stalks). Process till finely chopped, then transfer to a mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons of mirin and 14 ounces lump crabmeat. Season with salt and black pepper. Mix well, then shape the mixture into 12 small balls. Warm a very fine layer of sunflower or peanut oil in a nonstick frying pan, add the crab balls, and cook over low heat till they are deep golden on the underside. Turn and continue cooking till they are colored all over. Serve immediately with halves of lime.
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